Thai PM offers talks with rivals, critics
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-03-12 14:52

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has offered to meet with his critics ahead of next month's election, which he called early to defuse calls for his resignation.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, seen here, has offered to meet with his opponents in a bid to break the political deadlock threatening the April 2 election, a government spokesman said [AFP]

With his opponents boycotting the April 2 polls, the election has failed to appease his critics, so Thaksin made the offer for a meeting in a series of television interviews before the next mass rally against him Monday.

"We are trying to convince them to talk. I want to meet them but they play quite hard ball," Thaksin told CNN Saturday.

A spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a loose coalition of anti-Thaksin groups, said it was willing to meet with the prime minister as long as the talks were broadcast on live television.

"We agree to meet him on condition that it is a public event that includes the media, that there is a clear agenda, and that the meeting is telecast live nationwide," Suriyasai Katasila told AFP.

But he said he doubted the talks would materialize.

"I think that he's just trying to survive day-by-day, because his days are numbered," Suriyasai said.

PAD got a major boost Friday when Thailand's most powerful unions threw their support behind its campaign and urged their 300,000 members to join the protests against him.

Two proposals have emerged for organizing talks between Thaksin, the protest organizers and the opposition, government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said.

The Thai election watchdog P-Net had offered to organize a public debate, while university presidents were offering to mediate, he said.

"It was not clear which type of meeting he would agree to... but the prime minister has agreed to meet," Surapong said.

Thaksin dissolved parliament and called the snap poll in hopes of appeasing his critics, but the protests have continued.

Simmering discontent among a segment of Bangkok's middle class erupted in late January when Thaksin's family sold their 50-percent stake in Shin Corp, the telecom giant he founded before entering politics.

His relatives made 1.9 billion dollars in the tax-free deal, sparking allegations of wrongdoing.

But the Constitutional Court declined to investigate the matter, and regulators found only minor violations of disclosure laws by Thaksin's son, who on Friday was fined six million baht (153,000 dollars).

PAD has organized weekly rallies demanding his resignation since February 4, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power.

Despite the protests, Thaksin is believed to enjoy widespread support outside of Bangkok, especially among poor farmers who have benefitted from his populist policies.

He has repeatedly insisted he will not step down.

"Why should I resign? If I resigned, I would be betraying the people who support me. After April 2, everything will be clear. I am ready to quit, but only through a democratic process," he told Thailand's Channel 9 television.

"I want to reassure you that I haven't done anything wrong."